Why the Rams have waited to sign Aaron Donald to long-term deal

According to voters, the Los Angeles Rams had both the best offensive and defensive players in the NFL in 2017. Aaron Donald and Todd Gurley took home each major award, showing just how talented the Rams’ roster was this past season.

As fantastic as both players were, they were even greater values for Los Angeles. Together, the Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year cost the Rams just $6.9 million. Donald was a particularly outstanding bargain, owning a cap hit of only $3.2 million this past year.

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That number could have been significantly higher than it was, but the Rams opted to hold off on signing him to a long-term extension for another year. It was a decision that was met with a fair amount of criticism as many said the Rams were dragging their feet on making Donald the highest-paid defender in NFL history.

Les Snead and everyone in Los Angeles know he’s deserving of that title – and he’ll get it at some point – but the Rams are being cognizant of the salary cap and the massive chunk Donald will take out of it when he inevitably does sign.

That’s exactly why Los Angeles has been patient with this situation. It’s not because the front office has doubts about his impact or longevity. It’s not because the Rams don’t want him to be the face of the franchise for the next decade. It comes down to dollars and the timing of it all.

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The Rams probably could have signed Donald to a five-year, $100 million contract last offseason. It would have kept him in Los Angeles through 2022 or so, which is great. Alternately, the Rams could have passed on a long-term extension (as they did) and delayed the process by another year. It’s not as if Donald was in danger of walking. He couldn’t. He still can’t. He’s under contract through 2018 thanks to the fifth-year option, and the Rams have control over him for the next few years as well.

Last year, the franchise tag cost for a defensive end – which Donald technically is, even though it’s in a 3-4 defense – was $16.934 million. A hefty amount, but still less than what Donald will inevitably make annually.

Say Donald plays out the final year of his rookie deal in 2018 and the Rams franchise tag him in 2019. Considering the franchise tag has gone up by about $1 million for a defensive end each year since 2012, we can assume it’ll be about $19 million in 2019, when Donald would hit free agency.

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If the Rams wanted to tag him a second time in 2020, it would cost them about $20 million, presumably. Not a huge savings on what he’s expected to make annually on his next contract. The real savings comes in 2018 with Donald counting just $6.9 million against the cap.

That’s primarily the reason Los Angeles has slow-played Donald’s contract situation the past year or so. The Rams are trying to keep Donald around for as long as possible, all while keeping the salary cap in good shape. As badly as Donald deserves to be paid, it’s hard to fault the front office for wanting to wait out the extension to keep him under contract for the next seven to 10 years.

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